Iowa opens work week with Monday night dual against Minnesota

IOWA CITY — College duals on Monday night are uncommon.

Iowa has to go back almost eight years since the last time it opened the work week on the mat. That time was a home dual against North Carolina State as part of the National Wrestling Coaches Association National Duals Championship Series.

Third-ranked Iowa hosts No. 10 Minnesota in a Big Ten Conference dual Monday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes are coming off a 22-10 road victory over No. 6 Nebraska on Friday to open conference competition.

The dual with the Gophers was originally scheduled for Sunday but was quickly changed, according to Iowa Coach Tom Brands. The dual will air on Big Ten Network after the Iowa at Minnesota men’s basketball game.

Wrestling could increase its imprint by branching out to more days of the week. Viewership numbers will tell the tale, but Brands said the Monday dual makes sense.

“I think it’s something they want to make room for,” Brands said. “I don’t think there’s a lot happening on Monday for the Big Ten Network. It’s a great way to see how this works.”

Former Iowa two-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American Mark Ironside, who teams with Steven Grace on Hawkeye radio broadcasts, recalled Thursday night duals, especially with Northern Iowa. This could be a boost for wrestling.

“I think people will enjoy this on a Monday evening,” Ironside said. “I think it’s great for the sport and we continue to build the fan base of our sport.”

Multiple duals over a weekend are common during the Big Ten schedule, like Iowa’s tour east to Illinois and Northwestern on Jan. 26 and 28. Consecutive dates are even more common than bracket duals to the weekend.

The timing isn’t a factor and doesn’t disrupt the Hawkeyes’ routine.

“It’s not like it was last week when they changed it,” Brands said. “We’ve known about this for a long time. We were originally Friday-Sunday. We go. If it was Friday-Saturday, we go. If it’s two on Friday, we go. If it’s Friday-Monday, we’re ready.”

The Gophers (5-0) have had a small resurgence, but have not had a conference dual yet. They haven’t competed since the Soldier Salute on Dec. 30 at Xtream Arena in Coralville.

A couple of rematches from that tournament’s semifinals are expected. Iowa’s No. 9 Drake Ayala earned his first win over Patrick McKee, beating the Gopher, 5-4, at 125. McKee won their first four meetings in Ayala’s freshman season two years ago.

Ayala is 13-1 and has won seven straight matches, including a decision over No. 7 Jore Volk in the Soldier Salute finals and a 7-3 decision over Nebraska’s No. 5 Caleb Smith for his sixth victory over a ranked foe.

“I think the more times I wrestle the better I get, so I want to keep competing and getting better,” Ayala told BTN’s Shane Sparks in a post-dual interview Friday at Nebraska. “I’m really feeling good recently, so I have to keep it rolling and keep getting better.

“A lot of stuff to still clean up.”

Ayala said after the Soldier Salute that he expects to display his best wrestling in the second half of the season. He’s off to a strong start.

“Ayala’s been steady,” Brands said after the Nebraska dual.

The 125-pound class is flooded with parity. Multiple wrestlers have been knocked off after earning the No. 1 ranking. According to Sparks, only one top-33 ranked wrestler is unbeaten — American University’s Jack Maida (10-0).

“I’ve heard a lot about it and whatnot, but I just let it go through one ear and out the other,” Ayala said. “I just have to focus on what I can control and just do my job each time out.”

Iowa 197-pounder Zach Glazier is expected to wrestle Garrett Joles. Glazier edged Joles, 5-4, at the Soldier Salute. Glazier is 14-0 in his first season as a full-time starter, coming off an 11-2 major decision over Nebraska Big Ten champion Silas Allred

“He takes care of business,” Brands said. “He loves life. he loves the sport. He’s a hard-ass worker. I’m not surprised.”

Former Crestwood and New Hampton four-time state champion and UNI wrestler Michael Blockhus is in the Gophers’ lineup at 157. The sixth-year graduate student is ranked 18th and will face No. 2 Jared Franek.

Real Woods (141), Franek, Michael Caliendo (165), 174-pounder Patrick Kennedy and heavyweight Bradley Hill are all coming off victories. Ben Kueter also weighed in for the Nebraska dual, joining the wrestling team full-time after football season ended.

“We have all kinds of good things going on,” Brands said.

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